It could be called the kiddie pool, except there’s nothing harmless about the list of entrants in the 28th annual Comerica Challenger tennis tournament.
Most of the 22 direct-acceptance players announced Tuesday are on their way toward the top of the pro ranks, not coming back down. Four of them are teenagers and 12 of them would have trouble renting a car in the United States with an age under 25. And right now, none of them are ranked lower than 193 in the ATP standings.
By the time the main draw of the tournament starts at Seascape Sports Club on Aug. 10, another 10 will be added via wild cards, qualifiers and special exemptions.
Overall, though, Seascape owner and tournament promoter Paul Kepler said youth should rule the event.
“Very few players have been here before,” he said. “There’s a lot of new players this year, a lot of new names.”
The 193rd-ranked player, Andrey Rublev, is one of them, and perhaps the most dangerous of all. At 17, the Russian prodigy is the youngest in the field. Over the past six months, he rocketed up the ATP ranks from No. 436 to No. 193 and tied Rafael Nadal’s record by winning his first five ATP tournament first-round matches against opponents ranked No. 250 or better. He is also the reigning ITF World Junior Champion.
“It’s kind of a big deal for us to get him because I see him and a lot of people see him as a top-20 or top-10 player,” Kepler said. “We get to see him when he’s still a little wet behind the ears.”
Other teens scheduled to attend include 19-year-olds Elias Ymer of Sweden (No. 133), Karen Khachanov of Russia (184) and Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan (No. 145).
Then there’s Bjorn Fratangelo, 22, one of just two Americans currently in the pool (25-year-old Austin Krajicek is the other). In 2011, Frantangelo became just the second American to win the Junior French Open. Now ranked No. 125, he may have plenty of motivation to win in Aptos.
Fratangelo currently leads the U.S. Open Wild Card Challenge after reaching the finals of the Binghamton, N.Y., last weekend. Another finals appearance this week in Lexington, Ken., or in Aptos could earn him a wild-card entry into the U.S. Open.
“He’s going to have a fair amount at stake when he gets here,” Kepler said.
The elder statesman of the group is 31-year-old Malek Jaziri of Tunisia. He also holds the highest rank, No. 82, but there’s as little space between the entrants’ rankings as there is in their ages. Kepler said that should make for an exciting tournament.
“There’s an awful lot of people bunched in the 100s and high 90s and 80s, which means the competition is going to be really strong,” he said.
Often in the past, the Comerica Bank Challenger has featured at least one player ranked in the top 50. That’s not the case so far this year, but Kepler said he’s not worried. These guys will get there soon enough.
“Honestly,” he said, “the players who are going to break out and get in the top 20 are probably between 100 and 200 right now.”